The Patient Company

“Necessity is the mother of invention” couldn’t be truer when it comes to Grand Rapids-based medical device startup The Patient Company and its patented SimPull system. When founder and CEO Andrew Heuerman worked as a product manager at Spectrum Health Innovations (SHI), a patient transport manager shared that five staff members on one care floor alone were injured from laterally transferring patients from one surface to another. Could there be an improved method for lateral transfers that would help increase safety for staff and quality of care for patients?

Heuerman collaborated with engineering professors John Farris and Chris Pung at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) to bring the idea to fruition. Their students Dylan DiGiovanni, Michael Matusiak, Taylor Rieckhoff and Daniel Scheske were pivotal in designing the initial prototypes.

“GVSU proved to be an amazing and low-cost resource to test concepts and to try a lot of things we wouldn't have with a traditional engineering route,” said Heuerman. “The professors are effective project managers who encourage their talented students to think outside of the box and provide options a professional engineering firm could execute.”

The product received early- and mid-stage funding by the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for Life Sciences Innovation Hub, a statewide program co-managed by University of Michigan (U-M) Innovation Partnerships and U-M Fast Forward Medical Innovation and supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The MTRAC Life Sciences program supports translational research projects in life sciences with high health impact and commercial potential. Through MTRAC, the MEDC provides critical early-stage funding that helps bridge the gap between scientific discovery and commercial product development. Early-stage Kickstart funding was used for key design revisions on the product.

“Early-stage Kickstart funding positioned the team to secure mid-stage MTRAC Life Sciences funding for further design work, development for manufacturing and prototype testing,” said Dr. Meghan Cuddihy, commercialization program director at the MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub.

In January 2019, SHI won an MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub Award and received $75,000 in matching funds to complete the design and engineering of a production-representative device and perform a qualitative study.

Dr. Linda Chamberlain, now director of the GVSU Technology Commercialization Office, mentored the project and recommended applying for both the Kickstart and MTRAC for Life Sciences funding. With this development complete and a business plan prepared, Heuerman left his job at SHI to pursue the product's further development and commercialization as founder and CEO of The Patient Company.

“The combination of critical product development funding and guidance from MTRAC for Life Sciences was transformational in bringing the SimPull technology from an early-stage solution to a tested, manufacturable product that could be licensed to The Patient Company,” said Dr. Cuddihy. “MTRAC for Life Sciences’ support accelerated the ability to deliver a solution that benefits both patient and clinician safety.”

This non-dilutive foundational backing laid the groundwork for subsequent seed investment rounds, drawing additional capital from other prominent Michigan-based investment funds such as Invest Detroit, Red Cedar Ventures and Michigan Rise, propelling the company's ongoing growth and development and serving as a prime example of the research-to-commercialization opportunities available through Michigan’s innovation ecosystem.

In January 2024, The Patient Company announced it had secured a $3.3 million Series A investment after successful clinical studies at Sparrow Health and Corewell Ludington Hospital, with a third study underway at the Mayo Clinic. The investment will support manufacturing, sales and further product development for SimPull.

In April 2025, The Patient Company delivered multiple SimPull units to Sparrow Specialty Hospital within University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, further expanding the product’s reach. Heuerman says it feels amazing to be providing solutions to hospital systems around the state.

“Product development in healthcare is a long process,” he said. “After years of refinement, development, testing to regulatory standards, clinical studies and more, getting results for real patients and staff is so gratifying. We know that this product is solving a real problem and that people love using it. I can't think of a better outcome than that.”

The technology and capabilities behind the SimPull continue to evolve. Beyond lateral transfer, the SimPull can now be used for boosting patients up in bed and supporting patients moving from lying to seated. The Patient Company has also established intellectual property for other types of patient movements using the SimPull and uses data from tracking to continue development.

Looking ahead, Heuerman aims to take the SimPull from an initial successful commercial launch to broad adoption across the market. He says he couldn’t have done it without the MEDC and MTRAC.

“Without the support from the MEDC, I am not sure we would have been able to develop SimPull past an early-stage MVP,” said Heuerman. “The MEDC gave us our earliest validation point and funding to execute on next steps. Through that execution I was able to form The Patient Company which has been my life for the past five years now! In short, the support and funding from the MEDC allowed this product to support the staff and patients that it now does, and it has completely transformed my career and life. I know that as we continue to grow the presence of SimPull in the marketplace, more opportunities for product development will present itself, and that really excites me.”